Inventory at a Glance: How to Organize Your Cabinets or Pantry

Do your groceries threaten to tumble out of your cabinet when you open the door? Are there things lurking at the back of your pantry you haven’t seen in a year? If you can say yes to either of these questions, you aren’t alone, but you might need some pantry therapy!

Organization plays an important role in housekeeping. When you’re organized, you can find the things you need easily. It’s frustrating to look for something you know you have and be unable to find it, and you might waste money buying something that was sitting in your cabinet all along.

Quick Step-by-Step

No one wants to spend all day going through groceries and ingredients, so here’s a quick guide to get you started. Depending on the size of your pantry, this will take 20 minutes for a set of cabinets or up to an hour for a large walk-in pantry. Leave yourself plenty of time so you don’t have to walk away halfway through.

Step #1: Remove everything, throwing away old things as you go. Stand in front of the pantry with a trash can and a table nearby, and start going through your pantry item by item. If it’s still good and you know you will use it, keep it. If it’s out of date or you’re not likely to use it before it is, throw it away.

Step #2: Wipe down the shelves. You probably won’t pull everything out of your cabinets often, so take this moment to wipe down the shelves, getting rid of any dust or stray crumbs.

Step #3: Re-consider your storage techniques. If you have a lot of open bags or containers, you might want to think about storing those items in airtight plastic containers or zipper bags. This will keep them fresher for longer as well as preventing spills in your clean pantry.

Step #4: Group like items together as you put them back in. This can be categorized any way that works for you. Perhaps you will put all of the things you use most often in the front, or maybe you will group things by how you use them, like “baking” or “meals.” Whatever system you come up with, make sure it works for the way you use your kitchen.

When you’re done, take a good look at your cabinet or pantry shelves, and appreciate the work you’ve done. If you need help with the rest of the cleaning, give maid services a call—you’ve earned it!